Henry sciiaeffer



(No Model.)

H; SCHABPFER.

\ OAR ooUPLING. No. 567,866. Patented Sept. l5, 1896.

I UNTTED i STATES PATENT l EEicE.;`

HENRY SOI-IAEFFER, OF FARMINGTON, IOVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO NEVTON J. HEADDING AND CHARLES B. HEADDING, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,866, dated September 15, 1896.

Application filed March 2Q, 1896A. Serial No. 584,155. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, t may concern: ing 4: runs entirely through the draw-head to Be it known that I, HENRY SCHAEFFER, a its rear end. citizen of the United States, residing atFarm- Opening through the top of the draw-head ington, in the county of Van Buren and State `is a longitudinal chamber 5, which is of sub- 5 of Iowa, have invented new and useful Imstantially the same width as the opening 4, 55

provements in Oar-Couplers, of which the folwith which it communicates, as far back as lowing is a specication. about half-way between the middle and the My invention relates to car-couplers, my rear end of the draw-head, and in the oppopurpose being to provide a simple, ineXpensite direction abouthalf the length of the link- 1o sive, and reliable coupling which shall be aureceiving chamber The rearward portion 6o tomatic in its action and divested of all comof this chamber 5 is separated from the conplication of form or arrangement, which protinuous opening 4 by a partition 4*, which is duce a great liability to uncertainty in operhorizontal or parallel with the axis of the ation, besides largely increasing the expense draw-head, or nearly so. At the forward end I5 and the dead-weight to be carried by the car. of the draw-head is a pin-opening 6, of cruci- 65 It is one purpose of my invention, also, to form shape, which extends vertically into the provide a car-coupler which shall consist of link-receiving chamber 3. A T-shaped openthe minimum number of parts, each having ing 7 in the lower wall of said chamber perthe utmost simplicity of form and operation, mits the passage of the lower end of the pin 2o and one which shall require no springs to when it engages the coupling-link. 7o produce its automatic action. In the opposite vertical walls or sides of The invention also comprises features of the chamber 5 are formed shallow recesses 8, novelty which will be fully explained herehaving vertical or nearly vertical front edges inafter, and then particularly pointed out 9 and rearwardly and upwardly inclined rear z 5 and defined in the claim which concludes this ward edges or shoulders l0, which closely ap- 7 5 specification. proaeh the vertical shoulders 9 at their lower To enable others to clearly understand and ends, leaving narrow openings into the linkto make and use my said invention, I will receiving chamber These recesses S re here describe the same in detail, reference ceive lateral ears or projections l2 upon the 3o being had to the accompanying drawings, in pin-supporting head. This head consists of 8o whichan elongated bar 13, having a bifurcated for- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coupler wardV end which is considerably thicker from in which my invention is incorporated. Fig. top to bottom than the rearward end. 'When 2 is a central vertical section taken in the in place in the draw-head, the weight of the 35 longitudinal line of the coupler. ,Fig 3 is a head draws the ears l2 to the lowest point 85 plan view of the parts shown in Fig. l. Fig. upon the inclined shoulders l0, thereby drawa is a perspective view of the pin-supportin g ing the rearward end forward upon the parhead. tition fia and causing the forward bifurcated The reference-numeral l in said drawings ends to abut against the shoulders 9. lln this 4o indicatesthedraw-head,whichmaybemountposition the length of the pin-opening from 9o ed upon the car in substantially the same front to rear is slightly less than the width manner as usual, its general shape and diof the pin, which consists of a fiat bar 1G, mensions remaining substantially the same having lateral ribs at its forward edge, which as heretofore. It is provided with the ordiextend the full length of the pin and enter 45 nary flaring opening 2 in its end for the enthe lateral channels Gfl of the pin-opening G. 95 trance of the link, said opening giving pas- Having entered the latter part way, the rearsage into a link-receiving chamber 8, which ward lower angle 'of the pin catches a bearextends back into the draw-head a distance ing upon the pin-supporting head 13, just in about equal to half the length of' the link.` rear of the bifurcation. The end of the 5o From itsinnerendasomewhatnarroweropencoupling-link, as it enters the draw-head, roo

' pushes the pin-supporting head backward slightly and upward, its projections 12 riding up upon the inclined shoulders 10 and its rearward end sliding horizontally upon the partition 4a. The pin then drops by gravity between the two parts of the bifurcated end and passes through the link and through the opening 8 in the lower wall of the link-cham.- ber, its passage being arrested at the proper point by a lug 17 on the pin, which moves in a channel 18 until it reaches a shoulder 19, which arrests it. It will be seen that I employ any ordinary link, and tha-t the automatic coupling action is rendered practi cally certain by supporting the rearward end of the head 13 upon the horizontal partition 4a, in contradistinction to throwing the entire support upon the inclined shoulders lO, which would be apt to cause the head to bind 0r stick should the parts become worn. By

the compound movement, however, secured by giving the rearward end of the head `a rearward horizontal movement and the forward end a rearward and upward movement, I not only prevent such binding7 but I practically avoid wearing away of the parts in contact and greatly increase the lease with which the head is moved. The head 13 also supports the link, so that it may be caused to enter an opposite draw-head.

In a car-coupling a draw-head having a vertical pin-opening provided with a channel terminating in a shoulder, a pin having a lug to move in said channel and rest on said shoulder when the link is engaged, and an elongated pin -supporting head, having its forward, bifurcated end heavier than the rear end and provided with lateral ears to lie in recesses in the side walls of a chamber in the draw-head, and to move upon rearwardly and upwardly inclined shoulders, while the rearward end of the head lies and is movable upon a horizontal support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY SCIIAEFFER.

Witnesses:

G. E. E. TowNsENn, A. H. MOORE. 

